Due to USADA requirements, Conor McGregor probably won’t fight in the UFC until mid-2023.
‘The Notorious’ last fought against Dustin Poirier in July 2021, where he lost after a gruesome leg injury ended the fight. McGregor had to undergo surgery and endured a difficult rehab process to recover. The former two-division champion is healed up and done filming the Road House remake with Jake Gyllenhaal, which means a return to the Octagon in 2023 is likely.
The main issue with McGregor’s return is that he hasn’t been in the USADA testing pool. Before being eligible to fight, ‘The Notorious’ must complete six months of drug testing unless given an exemption. He provided an update on Twitter by saying:
“I am clear for testing in February. I will complete my two tests per USADA and we are booking a fight.”
I am clear for testing in February. I will complete my two tests per USADA and we are booking a fight.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) November 24, 2022
Averi Walker, a USADA director, had this to say to ESPN about McGregor and a possible exemption to the six-month testing requirement:
“McGregor is not enrolled in our testing pool and would have to be for six months unless an exception is granted, which we do not think would be applicable.”
Conor McGregor calls out Anthony Smith for negative comments about ‘The Notorious’ being out of the USADA testing pool
Several MMA analysts and media members have been skeptical about Conor McGregor being out of the USADA testing pool. UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith was one analyst bothered by McGregor’s lack of drug tests. ‘The Notorious’ heard Smith’s comments and responded on Twitter with several messages.
McGregor has various options for his UFC return, with Michael Chandler, Justin Gaethje, and Tony Ferguson seeming to be the most discussed. It’ll be intriguing to see if ‘The Notorious’ can land an exemption from USADA or be forced to push back his potential fight date again.
